Museum of Missing History

MOMH remains in holding pattern

2009-04-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that the Museum of Missing History is not dead, just dormant.

Starting a nonprofit organization is hard in the best of times. In a bad economy it is brutal, particularly if the mission does not involve providing for some of the basic needs that are going unmet. For this reason the Museum's growth has been frozen for the time being. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so when we do start up again you will be among the first to know.

That said, we are still looking for donations, ideas, volunteers, and whever else you may have to offer so be sure contact us.

The Pen and the Spindle covers MOMH

2008-05-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

The Museum of Missing History is featured in the May 2008 issue of Primary Source Agenda, the eZine of The Pen and the Spindle blog. We are very excited as this is some of the first media coverage of the Museum.

MOMH on Verve Earth

2008-05-01T08:30:00.001-07:00

The Museum of Missing History is now listed on Verve Earth, a new website now in beta form that plots the Internet geographically using Google Maps. Check them out at http://www.verveearth.com/.

MOMH Announces Early Successes and New Initiatives

2008-04-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 April 2008, Audubon, Pennsylvania – The Museum of Missing History (MOMH) today announced some of its early successes and the launch of a second stage in its growth that included the unveiling of a fundraising campaign.

The number of visitors to the MOMH website (www.museumofmissinghistory.org) has recently been averaging more than 100 per day, up from 62 per day in March. “Our website traffic is modest by most standards,” says Martin Murphy, Executive Director of the museum, “but we’re very pleased to be drawing this much attention as a newly formed organization.”

Another important measure of success is the connections that the Museum makes. The Museum has already connected a leading Degas scholar in California with a woman in England who remembers seeing Degas bronzes in Beirut, Lebanon before the civil war there. A private collector has been able to share some of his most historically significant pieces anonymously with scholars.

“It’s like a rocket,” says Mr. Murphy. “The first stage was building the beta version of the website and proving the concept. This was done with the help of a few dedicated volunteers and built on a shoe-string budget. Now that the concept is proven we’re ready to take it to the next stage.”

The first priority of any fledgling nonprofit is fundraising. The Museum is seeking donations to support its mission. “The bottom line here is that we need everyone’s support, whether it’s $5 or $5,000. Foundations and major donor prospects want to see that an organization has a wide base of support before making a significant commitment themselves.”

MOMH is also reaching out to anyone who has information about which historic objects are missing and their stories. The Museum currently has only 21 entries in its Catalogue of Missing Objects “out of the thousands of stories of missing historic objects,” says Mr. Murphy. “That’s why we need the help of students, scholars, and enthusiasts to pull together the information about what’s missing.”

The Museum of Missing History is an independent 501 (c) (3) organization and is the museum of the mysteriously missing pieces to the puzzle of the past. We tell the stories of missing historic objects and their discoveries. MOMH also offers educational materials based around the quest for and discovery of missing history.

Contact: Martin Murphy
martin@museumofmissinghistory.org.

Missing History in Pop Culture

2008-03-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

You can't talk about missing history without talking about stories like Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" or movies like "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." So we do: Read about Pop Culture and the Museum of Missing History.

Greenland is North America

2008-03-02T13:52:00.001-08:00

Did you know that Greenland is a part of North America? Maybe I'm a case for remedial geography class but this was news to me. Actually, I had never really thought about it.

This fact is why Claudius Clavus's original manuscript map of Scandanavia, which is the earliest map known to have shown Greenland, is so important. It is the first European map to show North America. Clavus made the map while he was exploring the area in about 1410, 82 years before Columbus "discovered" America. Learn more here

Announcing the MoMH electronic mailing list

2008-02-11T16:49:00.000-08:00

You can now sign up on our website for the Museum of Missing History's electronic mailing list. Joining our elecronic mailing list will allow you to keep up with all of the exciting news and events at MoMH. Once on the list you will automatically be informed of additions to our Catalogue of Missing Objects (COMO), new clues and discoveries, and receive the Museum's newsletter. We will also let you know about our Members Program as soon as it becomes available.

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Announcing our new website!

2008-02-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

The new Museum of Missing History website is now up at museumofmissinghistory.org. As you'll see there is still work to be done here and there but we are very excited about the new design by James Massey. So, go on! Have a look around the new site and tell us what you think.

"Mysteries of History" - U.S. News & World Report

2007-09-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

The weekly news magazine U.S. News & World Report published a special issue about the "Mysteries of History" in 2000. The full text of all of the articles from that issue are still available here: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/index.htm.

These articles are a fascinating tour through some of the better known historical mysteries and a few that you probably have not heard of. What is even more exciting is that they represent only a tiny fraction of what remains to be learned about the past. As the authors point out in the article on DNA testing of historical figures, science and technology continue to provide new tools for unravelling the mysteries of history.

Volunteer Art Historians Needed

2007-09-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Now that the database for the Museum of Missing History's Catalog of Missing Objects (COMO) is live in beta form we need entries to fill it with.

The Museum is looking for volunteers to research and write on missing historic art other objects.

COMO entry guidelines are available by contacting me via this blog or at the Museum of Missing History.

Do you have a clue?

2007-05-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

You could have a clue that would change everything. Putting together a picture of the past that we can learn from is alike assembling a puzzle. Some pieces are obvious and fit easily. Others can elude a series of scholars for decades.

We all hold pieces of the puzzle of the past through things we've seen or done or stories we've heard from older friends or relatives. You may even own a painting, piece of furniture or other object that tells a story that someone else is looking for.

The Museum of Missing History is about making connections between those who are looking for pieces to the puzzle of the past and those that, knowingly or unknowingly, have them.

Visiting the Catalog of Missing Objects (COMO) and seeing what's missing is the easiest way to support this important project.

Get involved with the Museum of Missing History. You might have a clue!

Welcome to the Museum of Missing History blog

2007-04-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

You've discovered the blog of the Museum of Missing History.

The Museum of Missing History is an online museum of historic objects and information sought by students and scholars for preservation and study. If you think that Da Vinci Code and Indiana Jones are exciting then you need to learn more about the real-life mysteries held by history.

Visit our website and our Catalogue of Missing Objects (COMO).